


you have burned him and he's but a child

by 530_and_some_fandoms



Series: oh, but look what you've done to your only son [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Agni Kai (Avatar), Gen, He's just awful tbh, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, It's Zuko my dudes, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Ozai Introspection, Ozai literally has no redeemable qualities in here, POV Ozai, POV Third Person, Villain Introspection, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko's Scar (Avatar), because the POV Ozai tag alluded to it being first person, but he's actually very interesting to write, it's not like that I promise, so here, what else do you expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29369403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/530_and_some_fandoms/pseuds/530_and_some_fandoms
Summary: "Ozai had expected Zuko to not fight him, counted on it even. If his son fought, it wouldn’t have been hard to beat him, anyway. He was a weak bender, nothing like his sister and nothing like Ozai."
Relationships: Ozai & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: oh, but look what you've done to your only son [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155800
Kudos: 25





	you have burned him and he's but a child

Zuko was not Ozai’s son in any way that mattered. 

Ozai had acknowledged that a long time ago, back when the babe had been born far too early, on a moonless winter night. Agni was gone, and with it Their blessing. Their sister Tui even refused to shine. It was foreboding. The sign of a weak bender before the tinders had been placed under the child’s nose. 

Zuko had been small and barely lived through the night. Ozai had buried the memory of panic a long time ago. 

As Zuko had grown, Ozai paid close attention. Ursa (curse that woman) had doted on him, showing him how to feed the turtleducks and thank the servants. The boy was soft, too much like his mother. There was no use for kindness in war. Ozai would have to stamp it out of the boy.

Azula was his daughter in every way, except in the way it was supposed to matter. 

Love was for fools. Ozai loved no one. 

But the closest feeling of love he had ever felt was for Azula. She was nothing like her waste of a brother. She was sharp where he was soft; ruthless where he was kind. She was a prodigy, catching her curtains in flame when she was only a few weeks old. Her brother couldn’t call sparks until he was eight. 

Ozai was proud of Azula, and proud of himself too. He didn’t let Ursa sink her cursed fingers into his heir.

(Anyone could see who the heir was and who the spare was. The only ones who didn’t seem to know where Ursa and the boy.)

Ozai’s children grew over the years, along with his ambition. He wanted to be Fire Lord when his father died instead of his idiot brother. 

Opportunity arose when Iroh sieged Ba Sing Se. Battle is chaos; that Ozai understood, though he had never been in one. No one would notice a few well-paid assassins getting a little too close to the Crown Prince’s son while they were fighting and dying. 

According to sources, Prince Lu Ten’s body was only recognizable by his head piece and name on the uniform. Ozai paid the assassins extra for their good work. 

Iroh returned to the Fire Nation, and Ozai was Fire Lord. Smiling down at his disgraced brother from the throne was a therapeutic experience. The thought of having to kill Zuko weighed heavily in his mind. 

He might carry it out anyway. His wife was gone, but he could find another. Produce another spare that would not be such a disappointment to Sozin’s line. 

He dismissed the thought soon after. It wouldn't be good for morale to have two princes killed within months of each other after all. And besides, he had no time for such activities now that he was Fire Lord. 

His name would go down in history as the Fire Lord who ended the century long war, bringing endless glory to the Fire Nation. The other nations would bow in submission for him and his line for all eternity. 

Ozai smirked, only to himself. He would need a new name for himself once he had rule over the world. Phoenix King Ozai had a satisfying ring to it. 

* * *

In place of Ursa, Zuko had begun to run to his disgraced Uncle. Ozai bit back a laugh when he had heard this from his daughter. 

“It seems failures flock together,” Azula had nodded at this, giving a smile that resembled his own in its cruelty. 

“So it seems, Father,” 

Ozai desperately wanted to get rid of Iroh. The year where his brother had disappeared after his son’s death was perhaps the most peaceful he had ever had. He was Fire Lord and no one could ever compare him to his brother again, because Ozai had amounted to more than Iroh ever would. 

Ozai needed his fool of a brother, however. He was useful for battle plans and tactics. Ozai had never taken part in war, only studied it. Learning from a map is not quite the same as learning from the field, and Ozai felt he was humble enough to admit to himself he had no experience. He was not humble enough to have others admit it for him.

His advisors had quickly learned after the first burned. 

This war meeting was supposed to be no different from the others. Plans he had already signed off on were proposed and changes were made as needed. 

This war meeting was  _ supposed _ to be no different from the others, but then Iroh had walked in with Ozai’s failure of a son. The fire in front of the dais climbed slightly higher as Ozai’s anger grew. Azula, an eleven-year-old, would sooner walk into a war meeting than Zuko. But Iroh had deemed his wishes numb and void.

It was convenient when Zuko spoke out against a plan. It was a good plan, assuring victory for the Fire Nation. That hundreds had to die for the victory was no matter. This was war. Soldiers would be proud to die for the victory of their nation. 

The boy did not seem to see it that way. 

“You can’t sacrifice an entire division like that! Those soldiers love and defend our Nation! How could you betray them?” he shouted to the generals like he knew of betrayal. 

“Prince Zuko,” Ozai spoke for the first time since the meeting began. He saw the boy’s head turn far below him as the fire in front of him rose higher. Some sort of satisfaction burned beneath his skin. Finally, a chance to rid himself of his worthless son.

“You forget your place. For your act of disrespect, you must fight for your honor,” Agni Kai. 

His son glanced over at the old general, before nodding up at Ozai.

“I accept,” Ozai bit back a laugh. 

The boy was foolish. 

* * *

It was satisfying to see Zuko’s look of fear as he turned around. He must not have expected that he would not be dueling the old general.

To be fair, Ozai had to enact an old rule to stand in the General’s place, but he was not regretting it. The crowd cheered around them and Zuko fell to his knees. Ozai had to fight a laugh.

Ozai had expected Zuko to not fight him, counted on it even. If his son fought, it wouldn’t have been hard to beat him, anyway. He was a weak bender, nothing like his sister and nothing like Ozai. 

“Please, Father. I only had the Fire Nation’s best interests at heart. I’m sorry I spoke out of turn,” Even now the boy was making up excuses.

“You will fight for your honor,” Ozai said, walking toward the kneeling boy. 

“I meant you no disrespect,” Ozai could hear the tears in his voice and had to bite down a groan. The boy was too soft for his own good, “I am your loyal son,” 

_ You are no son of mine,  _ Ozai thought as he walked closer. 

“Rise and fight, Prince Zuko,” he said, giving him one last chance. If he was smart, the boy would have taken it. Prolong his life, perhaps.

But, of course, the boy didn’t see it that way.

“I won’t fight you,” the boy’s loyalty might have meant something if he wasn’t so worthless. 

“You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher,” Ozai growled out. Zuko looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. 

Ozai lashed out, catching Zuko’s hair in a tight grip before reaching down and putting his other hand over the boy’s eye. The boy actually leaned into it, causing Ozai to scoff slightly. Why would he seek comfort from Ozai?

Ozai set his hand alight, digging it deeper into Zuko’s face. The boy screamed almost inhumanly, struggling to get away, burning his arms as he tried to move his father’s hand. Ozai only gripped the boy’s hair tighter. 

He could feel the boy’s face melting under his hand and it took all of him not to smile. He had to keep up appearances, of course. 

Soon, the boy passed out. Ozai let him go, leaving him to fall to the arena floor. 

He stood for a moment, examining his work. Blood and fluid leaked lazily from the blackened wound, dripping onto the floor. 

He turned his back to the boy and walked away. He had banishment papers to draft. 

**Author's Note:**

> Next bit coming out tomorrow! More Ozai POV oc


End file.
